ORIGIN

Class Act: 1971 BMW R75/5

If you’re a vintage bike owner, you’re probably a modern bike owner, too, if you actually like to ride any kind of distance. But this 1971 BMW R75/5 is a bike that scratches the vintage motorcycle itch while still affording the ability to make the occasional run across the country. This one is in clean shape and very well presented. Find this one for sale in the Flea Market at AdvRider.com in Troy, Michigan for $4,000.

The bonus with the R75/5 over a bike like an R60/2 is that the /5 is no slouch. The 750cc Boxer twin is good for 110mph, making long distance touring a very real possibility. R50/5 and R60/5 models both featured Bing slide-type 26mm carburetors, but the R75/5 featured big 32mm Bing CV carbs.

In many ways, the R75/5 is a much more conventional motorcycle than the /2s it replaced. A more traditional telescopic front fork with rubber gaiters replaced the Earles fork in the preceding model. The 12-volt Bosch electrical system runs lights and ignition as reliably as any you could expect to find on a 40 year old motorcycle.

There are plenty of restored motorcycles around that you’d be afraid to ride for fear of damaging a perfectly finished paintjob. This isn’t one of those motorcycles. It’s the kind of bike that you’d be happy to run well into either end of the traditional motorcycling season, disregarding any fear of June bug guts splattering on the finish. It’s clean and well-prepared, but with the sense that it’s got many a rainstorm under its belt.

As a bonus, the seller is throwing in a set of slightly more used Bates hard touring bags in case your wanderlust has you plotting a trip outside the city limits. It’s a classic, but it’s also a great day-to-day motorcycle. You can’t ask for much more than that for the $4,000 entry price.

18 Comments

Just wanted to add that it’s not specifically the ‘S fairing’ that’s supposed to be an issue. Apparently handlebar mounted fairings in general could be an issue. The idea is that they cause a little lift. Don’t mean to hijack the discussion but if anyone’s got any solid info on that or best fairing choices for a /5, please chime in.

Not scientific proof, Alberto, but I crashed one of these after tank-slapping caused, probably, by a combination of 1. Not tightening up the steering damper after stopping for gas. 2. SWB 3. S fairing complications at speed causing weight to come off front wheel, or so I’ve read. According to the speedo it was doing 114mph. When the wobbles began I cut the throttle and started gently braking. I don’t know if this was the best thing to do but at the time I was a bit distracted by my life flashing in front of my eyes. The AZ police officer who did the accident report and the math based on where the bike fell and hit the road and where it ended up over 100 yards down the road estimated I’d been doing 86 at the time. Of course, a speeding ticket followed. Even with a high-reading speedo, I’d be surprised if it hadn’t got to 100 before the shakes began.

The 75/5 ‘s are great bikes. The factory actually made 4 different tanks for 1972/3. The Euros got the big tanks like the one pictured on this bike, and the US got the toaster tanks. In addition the factory made a tank which wasas small as the the toaster tank but different chrome toaster panels on it. Then they revise dthe tanbks dso that the gas cover opened from the front rather than the rear, so someone’s nuts wouldn’t be taken off in an accident.. This looks like a ice bike at a great price if the mechanicals were good.

Looking at all of the photos, there are a few additional things to be mentioned about this bike. It’s missing the side stand. The exhaust headers should be hung at the foot pegs. Those hangers may still be there (it looks like there are extra clamps at the mufflers). Something appears amiss with the filler bolt for the rear drive (that may indicate that it’s stripped). Center stand foot “bar” is abused. The horn, shocks and peg rubber are from a later model. Most of the rubber looks old. The owner doesn’t seem knowledgeable, so it likely needs time and money before any trouble-free trips can be expected. The bags are useless without the complete mounting brackets.

I have a /2 and a /5. Both are great for what they are. I’d put the /5 in the “fast approaching classic” category, while the /2 is already there. The /5 is certainly a very useable bike. I ride mine quite a bit, and even commute on it from time to time. Where I am at, in San Francisco, this is a very fair price for a R75/5 in that condition.

BJ, the tank is correct for a ’71 – – – note the front hinged gas cap and the screw on emblems. A /6 tank would have a rear hinged gas cap and stick on emblems. Toaster tanks and chrome side covers were first offered on ’72 models, and even then the large tank was still available on order. If this bike is a ’71 and the subframe is original, it doesn’t even have tabs to hold sidecovers.

Agreed the /5 drum brake is a very good brake if fitted with modern compound pads and adjusted properly.

Silencers are the later /6 type, but high quality /5 cigar style reproduction silencers are available. The valve covers should be bare aluminum and not black, but that’s nothing a little paint stripper or a bead blast cabinet can’t fix. The steering bearing adjuster has been upgraded to the later /6 type, which is a good thing.

If this bike is mechanically sorted, it’s a good deal at $4k. /5’s are very underappreciated vintage bikes compared to Triumphs and Nortons from the same era. An R75/5 will cruise all day at 80-85mph, has good fuel range, and parts are easy to find. They’re great vintage bikes for folks who actually want to ride.

The tank is correct for a /5. There were at least two tank options, the chrome paneled “Toaster” tank that you mention, and the larger capacity tank that this bike is sporting. A clue to this tank being correct for the /5 is that the BMW roundels metal and are held on by two screws. On the later tank on the /6 model (same capacity), the roundels are plastic and mounted with adhesive and thus lack screws.

Also, this bike never wore the chrome side/battery covers. The early /5’s do not have tabs on the subframe to support the mounting of covers. In one of the photos on the ADVrider website one can see that there are no tabs present. This would have been the case on all of the earlier /5’s (1969-71, roughly). Of course, one could switch to a later subframe or from a later to an earlier if desired, as long as the switch isn’t attempted with the long wheel base (LWB) model /5 from late ’72-’73. This is definitely a short wheel base (SWB) model.

The valve covers should not be black, but that is a taste issue and could easily be changed. It is wearing the original aluminum turn signal housings. The rear housings are still sporting the extra DOT mandated red reflectors. The original orange reflectors on the front housings have been removed and replaced with a small plug to fill the mounting hole. This also points to an early SWB model. Later models had larger DOT reflectors mounted on the headlight ears.

My first bike was also a /6 (1974 R75/6) (after the Vespa of course) and while that is not a classic in the eyes of others, I’ve heard too many sad tales of guys letting their first loves go, so I’m keeping her…

I agree that this bike has lots of support out there, but for me it is certainly a classic. I think it is overpriced unless extensive overhaul and upgrade work can be documented. Like slam105 I would change the high U.S. bars for the lower “Euro” bars, but that’s it – buy it, ride it, learn from it, and love it!

Decent buy if runs well. No virgin though; the tank is from a later ’75-76 it should be a Toaster tank, original plug caps were metal but the RF caps are better and no side covers, the /5 chrome ones are hard to find. No worries about the drum front brake, properly adjusted they stop better than the first generation discs. Those grips are TT aftermarket style (tittie grips) and much more comfortable than the originals and also unobtainable (if you have a new spare pair contact me). Wouldn’t take much other than money to bring it to original. Smoother than the later R90 series and capable of going coast to coast once properly sorted (check if it is a SWB model, they were twitchy if not setup properly); did it then, will do it now. It’s a rider, lots of them still on the road and heavily supported (ibmwr.org and airheads), but not a classic in my book. Of course the ’76 R90 in my garage wasn’t a classic when I bought it either, neither one of us started out to be a classic, but with the passage of time…